As I finish “Measure What Matters” by Katie Paine, the
challenges of measuring in higher education was discussed. Universities must measure appropriately in
order to make changes to attract new students to the institution. Without the proper use of social media tools,
prospective students may not know what the college has to offer. By having a measuring system in place,
universities can gauge the effectiveness of its efforts.
When conducting research, there are many challenging
elements. First off, you are dealing
with many experts. You are working with
professors who perform research on a daily basis. Because of this, they take numbers very
seriously and aren’t afraid to challenge the information presented. In addition, statistics are known by a
variety of members of the university.
They don’t need to take the extra time to look up the facts because they
have them memorized. These types of
people can range from professors to even the university president.
A final challenge when evaluating information for a
measuring program is the audience that will be addressed. You aren’t dealing with one specific group of
individuals. Instead the students,
faculty, parents and staff will need to be included as part of the audience. This poses a challenge because it’s hard to
please every individual while listening to their various needs. Overall, measuring in higher education is
needed but not without overcoming challenges in the process.
